About PresentMonkey

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

United States

Past Expat Posts:

Thailand

About PresentMonkey

My husband and I are retired. We love to meet people and are avid photographers of sunrises, sunsets, stars, animals, and just about anything that catches our eyes. We are relaxed, calm, and happy. Exploring, enjoying a good glass of port, local food and people watching make for a very nice day.

My Website:

http://https://hatsofftoportugal.blogspot.com/

Advice for New Expats

Dig deep into the internet for blogs, articles, photos, videos, tourism sites and anything you can find out about the area you want to move to. Go on a scouting trip for a month to see if you will like it and then realize that you will never truly know a place until you have lived there for a couple of years. Keep on having fun along the way!

Favorite Cuisine:

We love to try different things everywhere we go.

Some Forum Posts:

Portugal: what to pack for travel flights:

deangolden: Are you moving permanently? It depends on what you really need. We moved from the US to Thailand with only one piece of luggage and one carry on each. We sold everything and are not returning to the US. We had trouble finding clothes in Thailand because everyone is very tiny. Portugal is much different and now that we are here for the long haul we can find anything we need. Clothes, and shoes are not a problem. Medications are not a problem. Portugal is a first world country and we have found it much cheaper than in US. Bring what you want and if you have some special pieces of items like a favorite something you can't replace that will make it feel like home if you put it on a shelf, then by all means bring it. Try not to over worry. You will be fine.

Portugal: FBI background check:

Hello Rick, You need to have the report from the FBI sent to you. You take it with you with all the other paperwork to the consulate. We are retired also and we put "Retired" and n/a on the address line.

Portugal: Commercial property to rent:

Hi Dan, You may have already used these, but you can search for commercial property here. https://www.idealista.pt https://casa.sapo.pt/en_GB/ http://www.century21global.com/portugal http://www.realtor.com/international/ http://www.era.pt/

Portugal: Dogs in Surrounding of Tavira & Vila Nova de Cacela:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/veterinary+near+Tavira,+Portugal/@37.1273297,-7.6561567,15z Good luck, it is always hard when our fur babies are hurt. Let us know how it goes

Portugal: American moving to Portugal:

Hello John, There is plenty of information on these boards you might want to search for. If you go in and read our posts from our progress and go to FB "Expats in Portugal" group https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatsinportugal/ you will find more information. It really depends on where you live and which Portuguese Embassy you need to go to. Some people have had problems and some have not. The money you have will be no problem at all. For my husband and myself without a vehicle we are spending approx 1800 USD per month. The cost of living here is much less than the US. Good Luck and you will see people will be helpful with your questions on both sites, Linda (PresentMonkey)

Portugal: Cost of living-Algarve:

gringo, Here are some more sites for you. We found ours through imovirtual https://www.idealista.pt https://casa.sapo.pt/en_GB/ http://www.century21global.com/portugal http://www.realtor.com/international/ http://www.era.pt/ http://hrhouse.pt/

Portugal: Town hunting:

Hi Matt, Slamdunkmj, Fellow Ducks here retired from the UO. We would like to let you know about the town we choose and moved to this past September 1st. We choose Coimbra and think it would tick almost all of your boxes. There is a river and we are an hour train ride to the coast. I'm sure you will have more questions and when communicating long posts I like to use my email. If you like, could you please send us an email at vlbabkirk@gmail.com Linda and Vince

Portugal: peace of mind.:

To SlamD, We lived in Thailand for nearly 3 years. We now live in Portugal and are very happy to be in a 1st World country again. There were many things we learned and we are glad we did it, but there is a peace of mind being able to depend on good health care and having fresh clean water out of the tap. Whatever you decide to do, go easy on yourself when you experience culture shock. You can always change your mind and move somewhere else if it doesn't work out. Good Luck and most of all......Have fun!

Portugal: Housing Question:

Auburngrad, I too have issues with my breathing. We rented an apartment here for a month while we looked for a permanent rental. It was in a building about 50 years old and did not have any heat or air. There was a strong smell and some mold on the windowsills and inside. luckily we arrived when we were able to leave the windows open for ventilation. We did find a newer apartment (15) years old and it has water heated radiators in every room. We know a family here that explained the houses are build to keep the cool in during the summer. Look for refurbished and see what type of heating it has. You might end up with a wood stove, electric heat or pellet stove. During the summer we will need fans. It will be rare to find air conditioning. Check for mold and make sure you have windows for ventilation. The area across the river called Quinta das Lagrimas is quieter, flatter and a bit newer than in other areas of Coimbra. Good Luck

Portugal: TAXES IN PORTUGAL:

Hello Countga: This is what we understand: Social Security is exempt from taxation in Portugal. IRA, 401K etc, are taxable in Portugal. If you have a Resident Card you have to file taxes in Portugal. Regarding the Double Taxation Treaty: If Portugal's taxes are higher than US taxes you pay the difference to Portugal. Therefore, the double taxation prevents you from paying the amount to the US a second time to Portugal.

Date Joined:

12/14/2011

Total Posts:

89

Posts/Day:

0.05